Although the art of constructing burial caskets is as old as civilization, there has been little change in the basic structure of a casket in modern times. Fundamentally, a casket comprises two hingedly connected members, one of which is a casket body, the other one of which is a top. Frequently the top is divided into two sections which are hinged to the body. Caskets may be constructed from wood, metal or other materials, and may be quite heavy, depending on the design. Casket lids are normally attached to the casket body in such a way that the top can only be opened to a certain maximum degree.
Opening the top too far, or inadvertently forcing it backwards too far, may break the hinge connection. To prevent this, metal brackets or stays are sometimes used which prevent the top from opening beyond a certain desired angle. This angle is such that at the maximum opening, the top may be balanced precariously between falling shut in one direction or leaning backward and possibly toppling in the other direction, if the casket were accidentally bumped.
It is often desirable or necessary that the lid be held open for an extended period of time, for example, during the viewing period or while arranging flowers and the like. It is also advantageous to keep the lid open for purposes of display in a showroom to show to funeral directors or other potential purchasers. During these periods if the casket lid is not properly secured in the open position, it may easily be bumped and fall down, and cause a disturbance or injure persons standing nearby.
In the past, funeral directors have attempted to solve this problem by tying the lid up with string to a hook on the ceiling or some attachment on the wall. Although this method prevents the falling of the casket top, it is rather cumbersome and the string is not easily hidden from view. Also commonly used are breaker arms which lock into position upon the full opening of the casket top. In order to shut this type of casket, it is necessary to break the arm manually while at the same time lifting the casket top to relieve pressure from the breaker arm, and this usually requires the labor of two persons to operate. The breaker arm is also defective in that it has a tendency to get caught in the interior fabric of the casket, further complicating the closing of the top. If the breaker arm is not covered with fabric, it would detract significantly from the overall appearance and attractiveness of the prepared casket.
There have been other types of retaining brackets proposed which would require a manual adjustment for locking the casket top in an open position. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,783 shows a retaining bracket for a casket, which must be manually tightened in order to stay the lid in the open position. These are also not very practical or convenient of use because of the extra adjustments required.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a stay mechanism to keep two hingedly connected members such as a casket lid and casket body at a predetermined distance apart, which mechanism operates smoothly, dependably and quietly.
It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a casket top support mechanism which can yieldingly support a casket lid in an open position.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a stay mechanism having a simple design which is operable by a single person without the need for making any manual adjustments.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a casket lid support which is attractive and unobtrusive, relatively inexpensive and easy to install, and has no tendency to tangle interior fabric.